You Must Remember This
by PHXYote
Summary: Sequel to "The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship." McCoy has been awarded a Fellowship to spend a summer at a medical school on Vulcan, courtesy Spock and Sarek. Also features Amanda and a new character, Cousin T'Sefora. Please review! Chapter 10 up 10/3/13.
1. Chapter 1

**You Must Remember This**

"Of course you will stay with us on Vulcan."

Ambassador Sarek sounded almost surprised. The idea that his son's friend would stay anywhere else while studying on Vulcan as the first-ever Maimonides Fellow was completely illogical.

Commander Spock was quick to echo his father. "There is no need for you to obtain inferior lodging near the medical school when our home is close to it. In addition," he added, "my mother would enjoy the company of another Human."

McCoy started to protest that he couldn't possibly intrude for an entire summer. The Ambassador raised an eyebrow at him.

_Do all Vulcans do this, or just the ones in this particular family?_ McCoy wondered.

He gave in. "Who am I to upset the state of Terran-Vulcan relations?"

He was met with polite but blank stares. "What I mean, Ambassador, Commander, is that I am _honored_ and _pleased_ to stay with you during my fellowship. Which, if I may repeat, I am very grateful you were able to arrange, sir."

"There is no need to thank me again when you have already done so," Sarek answered. "You must remember this."

McCoy sighed to himself. Down south, people were super-polite to their friends' parents. _This won't work on Vulcan_, he thought.

He turned to Spock. "The summer orientation begins on Standard 21 June," McCoy said. "My last final is 12 June. I haven't booked a shuttle seat yet. What day would be convenient for me to arrive on Vulcan?"

"There is no need for that, Doctor," Spock said. "You will accompany my father and me when we leave for Vulcan on 15 June, if that day is still acceptable to you, sa-mekh."

"It is," Sarek answered. "I will let your mother know to expect us on 17 June. She will be most pleased to see both of you. You are correct, sa-fu, your ko-mekh will enjoy having another human around, especially after you return to Terra. How long will you stay with us?"

"Eighteen days, sa-mekh."

"That is acceptable." Sarek glanced toward his desk, which McCoy thought was surprisingly messy for a Vulcan. Spock's office was immaculate. Sarek had every gadget imaginable on his desk: PADDs, styluses, laptops, even _books_, were scattered over it. McCoy noticed no less than four monitors as well.

"Gentlemen, I have a meeting that begins in 22 minutes, and must excuse myself to prepare," the older Vulcan said. _Really,_ McCoy thought, _he looks like he could be Spock's older brother, not his father._ He guessed that Vulcans age at half the Human rate. He couldn't wait to begin his studies and learn more about this hyper-polite yet mysterious race.

Spock nodded. "Thank you, sa-mekh. Sochya eh dif."

"Dif-tor heh smusma, sa-fu," Sarek answered. He turned to McCoy. "Good day, Doctor."

"Good day, sir," McCoy added. _Twenty-two minutes_, he thought. He'd better get used to this kind of hyper-accuracy as well.

Sa-mekh: father

Sa-fu: son

Ko-mekh: mother

Sochya eh dif: peace and long life

Dif-tor heh smusma: live long and prosper

* * *

Spock and McCoy made their way out the Vulcan Embassy. Sarek had offered them his limousine to take them back to campus, but they declined. It was a pleasant day out, Spock had said, and it only took a half-hour walking with a human to return to the academy campus.

"I had no idea your parents would open their home to me, Spock," McCoy said, huffing a little as he tried to keep up with Spock. _How the hell does Uhura keep up with him?_ "It's incredibly generous."

"Vulcans are known for hospitality, McCoy," Spock answered. He turned his head to look at the doctor. "You are housebroken, I hope."

"Your sharp wit kills me, Spock. I can only hope your mother is as retiring and shy as her son."

"My mother is hardly the shy type. The only reason you are staying with us is because if she were to learn that a friend of mine was living nearby, in student quarters, she would be quite annoyed with me. I personally have no problem placing you in inferior quarters…but I do not wish to upset my mother."

"And here I was ready to diagnose you as a bona fide daddy's boy."

They went on in this manner for several minutes.

McCoy abruptly ended some particularly lame banter about doctors who run out of patients. "What a stroke of luck for me that that you and your father are going to Vulcan! Your father's shuttle should be a little more comfortable than steerage class on United Shuttles."

Spock's mouth twitched slightly, a sign that he was amused by the comment or still internally cracking up over his own jokes. "I visit Vulcan every year after I hand in final grades," he answered. "The embassy shuttle is quite adequate for the 50 hours we will be aboard. There is a kitchen, a dining area, sleeping quarters, showers—"

"I get the point, Spock," the doctor cut him off. "You rich guys have it made. What I need to know is, will you be _cooking_ on board? I'll need to confiscate those spices you nearly killed me with at your little Vulcan tea parties this semester."

In truth, the weekly practice sessions Spock hosted at his off-campus flat (he called them bull sessions) for students studying Vulcan had done wonders for McCoy's confidence in his ability to speak Vulcan. The food Spock prepared was an unexpected hit as well, particularly among the "sensitive vegetarian types" as McCoy called them.

But Spock had proven to be a generous instructor. He'd given McCoy tickets for a Vulcan film festival, recommending the medium as an excellent way to observe sentence structure. McCoy had even met an atttractive Vulcan female at one of Spock's tea parties to take to a couple of movies. He was becoming rather fond of her only to learn that she was planning to return to her home planet to get married after the semester was over. His luck, he figured. Maybe he'd meet a nice Vulcan lady doctor this summer.

In return for Spock's generosity, he'd offered to hang out with him to return the favor, so to speak, to help him become more at ease with Humans. Captain Pike had been urging him to be more social and McCoy didn't mind hanging out with his instructor. For one thing, it was an antidote to Jim Kirk's constant nagging to go out and "meet some new girls." He liked Kirk but was a little put-off by his endless pursuit of unavailable women, particularly his own buddy Uhura who he now suspected was involved with...his _new_ buddy Spock. Weird as that might seem, they were actually a good match for one another. Both were extremely smart, extremely good-looking, and extremely nerdy. Someday, McCoy thought, they would have gorgeous, nerdy kids with pointy ears and send them out to the far reaches of the galaxy to annoy new-found civilizations.

"I was planning to bring along some of the swill from mess for you," Spock responded, jolting McCoy out of his musings. "Since the shuttle is quite comfortable, I realize it will not provide an opportunity for you to _kvetch_ about. So you will have your re-heated swill." He almost smirked at McCoy.

"Me? Complain? Only when there is a solid reason, a _logical_ one, to back me up." He cleared his throat. "I know you drink wine on occasion and I think I've seen you with a beer-probably a light beer, knowing you-once or twice, but do you have anything on board that _real men_ drink?"

"Do not fear, Doctor, I will ensure that the shuttle is properly stocked with your favorite whiskey. Maker's Mark, I believe?"

"Ah, you know me too well, my green-blooded minder."

"It is more a matter of caution. That moonshine you doctors concoct in the compounding lab is the last thing I want on my father's shuttle. If it were to spill, it would no doubt burn a hole into the fuselage."

* * *

They arrived on Vulcan late in the evening two days after their departure, delayed by a dry storm that swirled sand and dust for miles around the spaceport. Sarek was whisked through Security. Spock joined him just a few minutes later, greeted by a small throng of media.

McCoy thought his Starfleet ID would quickly get him through Security. He was mistaken.

The inspector looked at his Starfleet-issued passport, which featured a photo taken only hours after he had extracted Jim Kirk from a bar fight. He had been hung over that day, his hair mussed up, his eyes glassy. He'd often though about getting another photo taken but never got around to it.

The Vulcan security officer looked at the photo and at McCoy several times. "Why did you say you are here?" he asked. McCoy pushed his visa at him a third time. "Here's my student visa. I am a doctor attending Vulcan Medical Institute for the summer."

"If you are already a doctor, then why are you attending medical school?"

"I told you, I have a Fellowship. From Vulcans…to learn about how to treat them…Vulcans, who, you know, live on Vulcan."

McCoy kept straining his neck to see if he could summon Spock or Sarek for help, to rescue him from this damn security fool. There seemed to be a commotion around them. _Great. Just what I need—to be caught up in a riot of logical elves._


	2. Chapter 2

They were unprepared for the media.

"Commander, do you have any response to your ko-kugalsu's* request that your bond be dissolved?"

"No, I do not."

"Is it accurate that you had no contact with her for the past eight years, since you left for Starfleet?"

"That is not your business."

"Do you think that the days of koon-ut-la** are over?"

"Can you confirm that you would prefer a Human to a Vulcan female?"

"Leave us. This is a private visit," Sarek said. He sent Spock a message: _Do not answer any more questions._

"Ambassador Sarek, do you regret arranging Kan-Telan*** for your son given his mixed heritage? Do you think his mixed race was a factor here, or is it his propensity to attract attention to himself on Terra?"

*fiancee's

**childhood bonding ceremony

***child bonding

* * *

Sarek was annoyed. No, he was angry. He had ordered the embassy to keep his schedule private. He was aware that his son's activities had been something of a fascination with younger Vulcans many years earlier, when he rejected an offer to attend the Vulcan Academy of Science, and chose to attend university on Terran.

It had intrigued many young Vulcans, some of whom were toying with the anti-logic movement.

Spock's reason for turning down VAS had nothing to do with rejecting logic. It was his anger over "prejudice," a rather Human reaction to an admittedly unsatisfactory situation VAS had caused.

First, the VAS admissions board congratulated Spock on his academic achievements. Then, in a move that was breathtaking in its sheer _stupidity_, congratulated him for overcoming his "disability"—that is, his Human heritage.

Bias, prejudice, racism, bigotry—whatever you called it, and Amanda used all four words and many worse ones-all were illogical dogmas. That VAS would stoop to express it, much less condone it, was illogical beyond belief. Spock's rejection to enroll was, in fact, a logical decision.

The situation greatly angered Amanda and shook Sarek's own faith in his fellow Vulcans' ability to participate with the rest of the Federation. They asked for an apology. None came. Sarek and his mother, the influential Elder T'Pau, withdrew their sponsorship of the VAS Building Committee. _Hit 'em where it hurts, _Amanda had urged_._

Sarek had been rather proud of Spock for rejecting VAS in a composed, cool manner. He understood all too well how his son had worked to control his anger. Years earlier, he had been called to Spock's school after he'd fought with an older boy who had insulted Amanda and himself. Spock hadn't just beat up the boy—he'd broken his nose and punched his eye so hard the youth lost some of his eyesight.

Spock could have been expelled, but after a hearing where witnesses repeated some of the shocking language that had been directed at him, the school settled for a one-month suspension and mandatory counseling with a healer.

By then, Sarek had realized that while he and Amanda had encouraged their son to find his own identity, he needed guidance—Vulcan guidance—on emotional control. So he taught Spock to meditate, to avoid unnecessary physical contact, and to analyze and own his emotions. The healer agreed with his direction, and together, they worked on helping the boy strengthen his inner control and refocus his emotions.

Spock's decision to attend Starfleet surprised his family, both Vulcan and Human. No Vulcan had ever even applied to Starfleet. It wasn't the idea that he would desire to attend university on Terra; he'd visited numerous times during school breaks and said his experiences there with Amanda's family had been most satisfactory. They envisioned him attending an institution like MIT, Stanford, or perhaps Cambridge, where his scientific prowess would be encouraged and challenged.

He might be able to forge a stronger internal balance living among humans, most of whom were more open to new civilizations. Humans had, after all, welcomed extraterrestrial visitors from the very first contact.

And once it became known that the son of the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth would attend Starfleet, the Vulcan media went, as Amanda put it, "completely nuts."

* * *

At first, there was speculation that Spock could never be a "real" Vulcan as he obviously couldn't control his emotions. Then they attacked Sarek's and Amanda's bond; his very sanity for marrying a Human was all but ridiculed in some corners. Some extremists proposed banning Vulcans from marrying non-Vulcans at all, while others wanted to end the teaching of non-Vulcan languages and customs.

All in all, it was quite a challenge for a teenager to absorb and he was glad to leave Vulcan. In fact, he never even visited his home planet at all during his time at Starfleet, choosing instead to attend summer classes and visit his mother's relatives.

Later, the pundits raised the point that Amanda and Sarek had argued—that bias against other species was illogical and rejecting VAS was indeed the only logical decision the young "hybrid" could have made. The issue of species prejudice among Vulcans became a more or less permanent feature as Vulcan became more involved in Federation matters.

Spock, thankfully, faded into the background even as he became an academic and athletic superstar at the Academy, lettering on the swim team and earning a position as a second-string defenceman for the hockey team. Occasionally a photo would surface that resulted in the kind of attention that made his parents edgy. One such photo, taken during his junior year, featured their well-toned, goggled son standing by the Academy pool during a swim meet, dripping wet and dressed only in tight swimming briefs. This started a most inappropriate rumor about parts of Vulcan anatomy being far superior to that of humans, a detail that Sarek did not find helpful or amusing when dealing in the male-dominated world of interplanetary diplomacy.

He was far from pleased when Amanda reported seeing posters of the same photo on Orion and Terran, displayed in windows of stores frequented by teenaged females. Spock's Human relatives, though, thought it was hilarious and seemed to enjoy their relative's notoriety.

But that was six years earlier. Since then, the media had moved on. Or so they thought.

* * *

Spock agreed with his father that it was best to ignore their questions and instead looked around for McCoy. He saw the doctor arguing with a security officer. He tried to move back to the security station but found his path blocked by another pack of photographers and reporters.

"Is it true that this Human was a student of yours?"

"Will you confirm or deny that you secretly married in Monaco?"

"Will your opposing genetics allow you to have children naturally or will a geneticist get involved? You are the result of genetic manipulation, are you not?"

_It is one thing to say that Spock should have known better_, Sarek thought to himself. _But he is an emotional being. He never will be able to completely control his emotions and actions._ _You must remember this_.

He wondered, not for the first time, if his son didn't _want_ to control his emotions as carefully as other Vulcans.

He ordered his security detail to move the press away and they did so, rather roughly, Spock thought.

* * *

Sarek and Amanda had been relieved when the media interest in their son didn't resume after he graduated from Starfleet. He embarked on a two-year mission, then returned to Starfleet to teach. Everything seemed fine. He won prestigious research grants, applied and secured patents for Starfleet and a few for himself, and appeared content.

But, Sarek realized, they should have maintained more vigilance as their son neared what could be his first pon farr‡ as he approached his 28th birthday.

Amanda had insisted that it was illogical to monitor a grown person like a teenager and Sarek had let himself agree with her. Which was itself highly illogical. Because of this decision, they allowed themselves to relax. Their weekly subspace calls with Spock and occasional Terran visits failed to pick up another decidedly non-Vulcan interest. The tabloids, however, didn't miss it.

Just one week earlier, Amanda had emailed her husband, who was at the Vulcan embassy in San Francisco, several photos that indicated their son had experienced some lapses in logic where his teaching assistant was involved. They had met the young woman a year earlier, when she accompanied him to an Embassy dinner.

Amanda had wondered aloud to him later that night, after the dinner ended and the guests had left, whether Spock harbored some affection for the assistant. Sarek scoffed. He'd picked up nothing but professional and personal respect between the two young people. And he hadn't picked up any indication of an early pon farr coming on.

Spock was controlling what came over his familial bond. He'd been able to disguise his feelings for the young woman from his admittedly over-protective father. Or, perhaps, the relationship only came about recently.

Either way, he'd been completely unprepared for the photographs Amanda sent that showed the two of them entering Spock's off-campus apartment building in the evening and leaving, presumably the following morning, their arms around one another. Apparently Spock assumed that wearing a hat that covered his ears and eyebrows was sufficient disguise.

_My illogical son_, Sarek thought to himself. An old Terran cliché entered his mind: _The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. _

_He's a lot like his father_, Amanda had written as she concluded her email.

‡mating time


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: I am not in pon farr!  
**

McCoy watched as the spaceport security officer stamped his visa, scanned it, and handed it back to him. "I hope your stay on Vulcan will be an enlightening one, Doctor," he said.

McCoy thought he detected a note of sarcasm as the officer pronounced the word "Doctor."

"F'in pointy-eared security," he muttered to himself as he bent to gather his duffel and backpack. He stood up to find Spock staring at him, expressionless. "Sorry, Spock," he mumbled.

"Are you well, Doctor? You were delayed for 19.7 minutes."

"Felt like an hour. What the hell was going on over there? It looked like a riot."

"It was the tabloid media." Sarek had joined them, trailed by an embassy aide juggling numerous pads and comms. She reminded McCoy of Uhura, who seemed to keep a separate padd for every idea that entered her head.

McCoy coughed. "Excuse me?"

Spock sighed. "I shall explain this later." He turned to his father. "Sa-mekh, we should leave," Spock said. "Is there a separate exit we can use, away from the public areas?"

"I have already sent the hover around to the east end of the building," the aide piped in. She was a petite Vulcan with a startlingly high-pitched voice, McCoy thought. "They have already…displaced the press. I believe we can leave with little interruption."

_We will discuss this later_, Sarek sent a message to Spock.

_As you wish_, Spock answered.

McCoy looked at the two men who were ever so slightly glaring at one another. Sarek's aide was already walking down a corridor, trying to high-tail it out of the spaceport, and glancing behind to see if anyone had heard her. She was relieved to see that the Human, at least, followed her and was calling behind to Osah Spock.

"C'mon, Spock, your mother's waiting. You know how much I want to meet the accidental Vulcan."

* * *

Thankfully, the hover was a limousine so McCoy could pretend to be busy with various toiletries, drinks, and snacks while he surreptitiously watched his Vulcan hosts argue as only Vulcans could.

As far as McCoy could tell, as he busied himself with refresher wipes and combing his hair, Vulcans could telepathically argue quite well and still remain reasonably undetected. Only an observant person like himself would notice how their eyes betrayed emotion ever so slightly. He watched as Spock's eyes flashed at his father, who was apparently scolding him about something. Spock's jaw twitched a bit. Sarek looked away; his eyes looked, well, exasperated.

_What in the world has that hobgoblin done to piss off his father?_ McCoy wondered. Then they were at it again.

_A hat?_ Sarek asked. _Who wears a Starfleet ski hat in 80-degree heat? Did you really believe that was a logical way to disguise yourself?_

_What am I supposed to do, don a burka?_ his son snapped back. _And why should I be required to disguise myself? I have a right to a life. I only wore the hat so that we would not be stared at. I dislike it when people look at Nyota. I thought we would look like a Human couple. Many young Human males wear ski hats all the time. It is a fashion statement._

_I repeat, a Starfleet hat? More to the point: why in the world were you even embracing her in public?_

_I was __**not**__ embracing her. _

_Your arms were around one another. That is an embrace. That is something you do in private, not on the street. You must remember this. Unless you are entering the Time…_

_I am not in pon farr! She had almost tripped on the pavement…there was construction…she grabbed me and I was trying to steady her!_

* * *

Sarek's aide had apparently had enough of the fighting as well. She tried to speak softly to the Ambassador about the upcoming week's schedule. It wasn't apparent if Sarek was paying any attention to her. He was staring out the window, his eyes smoldering.

Spock popped open a soft drink and grabbed a bag of pretzels. "Would anyone care for refreshment?" he asked.

Round One to Spock, McCoy thought. He couldn't wait to meet Amanda Grayson and hear what she had to say about this argument. Not to mention, find out what it was all about.

* * *

He sat up abruptly_. It was the tabloid media,_ Spock had said.

Tabloid media?

McCoy was aware that Spock came from an influential family. One of the doctors he worked with said they were akin to Vulcan royalty.

But Spock had not been in the tabloid media…unless…the small mob at the spaceport was _Vulcan_ tabloid media? Could such a thing even exist?

_Oh, this is going to be a very educational summer. _


	4. Chapter 4, The Accidental Vulcan

**Chapter 4, The Accidental Vulcan**

Amanda Grayson tried to shake off her husband's telepathic complaints. He was communicating through their bond, in her head.

It had been a year since she saw her son, _their_ son in person, and Sarek couldn't hold off complaining about Spock's latest incident of "illogical behavior" among humans. She'd hoped, illogically, that her beloved could hold off his grievances until the kid had at least been home for a day or two.

_Enough!_ she finally answered. _He isn't even here yet! You know how much I've been looking forward to seeing him and now you're getting yourself worked up! Can't you just let go__** for once?**_

* * *

Back in the limousine, Sarek shuddered ever so slightly.

_I am not 'worked up.' But I will desist, as you wish, my aduna (_1)_, _he told her._ I do not wish to upset you._ _I will strive to not fill you in on the unpleasant details of our arrival. They will no doubt be on the news anyway. We shall be home shortly._

He could feel her raise her shields, a most illogical move since he'd already assured her that this conversation was over as she requested. He wondered what was for dinner. Spock was gorging on those unhealthy snacks he kept in the limo for offworlders; he'd probably be sick later. No doubt, Amanda would blame _him_.

Leonard McCoy couldn't help staring, moving his eyes from Spock, who was stuffing his face with pretzels and soda, to Sarek, who was glaring out the window, and back to Spock who was now rummaging through the limo's sideboard for more goodies.

_Emotional eating_, he marveled. _Who saw __**that one**__ coming? _"Spock, enough with the junk food," he ordered. Spock held a package of peanut butter crackers. "They probably have animal protein in them, too," McCoy added, knowing that Spock maintained a vegan diet.

MCoy noticed Sarek's aide looking at him and then at Spock. Spock turned toward her and tossed her the package.

"Ki ein yem-tanek, krei," (2) he said, a slight smirk on his face. The aide caught them in her lap. "Por shinsarat, Spokh," (3) she answered. She wouldn't eat them, either.

McCoy stared at both of them. "You're cousins?" he asked.

"We are," they said in unison. The aide smirked, sort of, back at Spock before turning to McCoy. "I apologize for not introducing myself to you, Doctor," she said. "I was trying to inform my uncle of his schedule this week but he appears to be meditating."

Sarek turned to her. "I am not meditating, T'Sefora. I am merely communicating with she who is my wife."

Spock cleared his throat. "McCoy, this is my cousin T'Sefora. She is my father's personal assistant and manages his schedule. Mother says she is a saint," he added.

Sarek pointedly ignored the comment.

McCoy turned to T'Sefora. "T'nar pak sorat y'rani, T'Sefora," (4) he said carefully.

"T'nar jaral," (5) the young aide replied.

Sarek looked at McCoy and lifted an eyebrow. "Your pronunciation and accent are quite good, Dr. McCoy. I congratulate you."

"Actually, Spock's tea parties and Nyota's coaching helped a lot, too" McCoy started to explain until Spock nudged him with his foot, murmuring "lkap'uh t'du ru'lut." (6) T'Sefora's eyebrow went up. She had to corner this McCoy and find out more about what her cousin had been up to on Terra. His infatuation with the beautiful Human female she saw on the news vids was understandable, especially with his family makeup. She knew Spock liked Human females; for years, he'd confided to her about girlfriends and Terran women in general, although he'd been strangely silent about this Nyota. However, _Spock_ hosting parties: that was something entirely new.

The limo started to descend over a private road. "We are home," Spock announced.

* * *

Amanda was waiting outside for them. A year was a very long time to go without seeing one's child, one's _only_ child, even if they spoke through subspace communication twice a week. Sarek, at least, saw Spock when he was at the main Vulcan Embassy in 'Frisco. Her new teaching appointment, though, precluded any real leave beyond a few days and Spock's was even harder, juggling teaching with his usual Starfleet duties.

She knew Sarek would say that waiting outside in the rain was illogical. But she loved the cooling rains bought by Vulcan's monsoon season. It settled the dust, and the plants released a sweet, clean smell reminiscent of Terran desert creosote.

She saw the limo descend and land. She fought back the urge to hurry toward it and instead forced herself to wait lest she be accused of acting too emotional and un-Vulcan. Anyway, she didn't want to embarrass Spock in front of his friend, at least not right away.

Instead, Spock practically leaped out the car and strode quickly to her. She threw her arms around him and he let her kiss his cheek two or three times. "I've missed you so much, son," she whispered. "I have missed you, too, Mother," he whispered back. He knew Sarek could hear them and didn't care.

Amanda broke away from her son and smiled up at her husband who now stood next to her, and extended the middle and index fingers of her right hands to his outstretched fingers. _Aduna_, he told her. _Ki'kwi'fun-tor (_7). Her smile always disarmed him. For a brief moment, he found himself somewhat illogically wishing he'd come home sooner and let Spock and McCoy travel by themselves. He needed to be alone with Amanda, meditate, talk over Spock's indiscretions with her, and figure out how to respond to his _illogical_ behavior. Having Spock here would be a major distraction for Amanda, who adored their son. That was fine; he knew this was perfectly normal for a Human parent. But it also meant she would have less time to clear her head and consider what counsel to give their son.

"Mother, this is Dr. Leonard McCoy," Spock introduced his friend. "A pleasure to meet you, ma'am," the doctor said, offering his hand. "Please call me Leonard." Amanda briefly shook his hand to minimize the touch and avoid upsetting Sarek, whose not-so-slight agitation she'd been feeling since he first reached out to her en route from the spaceport. She greeted T'Sefora, her favorite relative on Sarek's side.

"We should get inside. The rain is picking up again," Amanda looked up toward the sky and beckoned everyone to the house. Sarek and Spock moved aside, motioning T'Sefora and McCoy to go in ahead of them. McCoy looked around at the estate. It was quite attractive, he thought; not unlike some of the Gulf Coast resorts back home. A broad walkway curved through a lovely garden, very green, like the deserts of the North American continent. He followed T'Sefora and Amanda through an open door and into a vestibule where they removed their shoes and jackets. From there, they went through another door and into Spock's family home.

Amanda led them past a huge kitchen where something smelled _really good_. McCoy realized he was pretty hungry. He'd always had trouble controlling his motion sickness on smaller vessels, although Sarek's shuttle was certainly very comfortable. To be safe, though, he'd eaten very lightly during the trip and didn't have but one drink right after liftoff.

They followed Amanda to a hallway with a staircase leading up from the front. "Spock, I've arranged for Dr.—_Leonard_—to stay in the rooms across the hall from yours," she said. "Why don't you take some time to freshen up and let's have the last meal a bit later, at 1900."

"Very good, Mother."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Amanda. Please call us Amanda and Sarek."

They watched Amanda and Sarek ascend the stairs. "My parents' private rooms are upstairs," Spock explained. He looked at T'Sefora, who had picked up a bag piled high with his father's padds. "I will deposit these back in your father's office, tomasu," she said before heading off to another part of the house.

Spock nodded. "Come, Doctor, let me show where you will stay at _Casa Amanda y Sarek_."

He led McCoy down the hall and turned into a kind of reception area with sofas and a small library. A bathroom was on one side, and a bedroom on the other. McCoy could see his duffel inside.

"My rooms are a just down the hall, on the opposite side," Spock said. "I expect you will have little trouble settling in." He turned to leave.

McCoy called after him. "Spock!" The Vulcan turned around. "Thank you, Spock. This is…very, very generous. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate everything—"

"You have thanked us already, Doctor," Spock gently cut him off. "Now you have to turn your Southern charm on my mother." He let a small smile show. "And at the same time, beware of certain high-power Vulcan husbands. They are known to become quite jealous." He almost grinned as he turned and walked out the room.

* * *

Spock collected him at 1900. They had both showered and changed into fresher clothes, MCoy into pressed jeans and a light sweater, and Spock in a dark tunic over dark slacks. Both wore soft, comfortable indoor-only shoes that reminded McCoy of moccasins. Spock led him to the back end of the kitchen, which was surprisingly homey. Amanda had basically re-created an Earth kitchen, with a round table next to a bay window that overlooked the front garden. Flowers, plants, and wind chimes adorned the sill inside and out.

Sarek and Amanda were already seated together. Spock sat on his mother's other side and McCoy took a seat next to Sarek. T'Sefora entered, and McCoy stood up to pull out a chair for her. "Spock told me that you're a real Southern gentleman, Leonard," Amanda said, with a smile. "That alone is such a nice change from what we normally see around here."

"My wife, when have I ever neglected you?" Sarek protested. He offered his two fingers to her. She smiled and brushed her fingerss against his. "I am never without you, Husband. You must remember this."

Their chef, or cook, or whatever she was, the Vulcan female responsible for those incredible aromas, served a delicious soup with fresh-baked bread, followed by a course of stir-fried noodles with vegetables McCoy recognized from Spock's tea parties. The group soon fell into amiable chatter about the trip, monsoon storms, and Vulcan home politics.

McCoy gathered that moderate "logic questioners" were doing well in pre-election polls and could seat a small minority in the Vulcan Assembly.

"While I cannot approve of most of their platform, I find them to be an effective counter-weight to the anti-logic movement," Sarek commented.

"And many of them, Husband, are from solid middle-class homes as well," Amanda said. "It does us all well for the Assembly to be more…integrated with citizens who aren't part of the Vulcan elite."

"Are we not part of the elite, Mother?" Spock asked.

"We are," Amanda agreed. "But I for one, remember history and what happens when a small, _elite_ group controls too much. Think of the Orion Slave Revolt!"

"A rather dramatic example," Sarek said. "Twentieth-century Earth's Russian Revolution may be more apropos to the situation here. But your point is an excellent one, my wife. It is foolhardy to think that wealth equals wisdom. One only has to observe the Ferengi delegation."

T'Sefora made a sound that McCoy thought sounded an awful lot like a stifled giggle. He turned to look at her, eyes questioning, but her face was impassive.

Sarek shook his head. "Or read from the archives of 21st-century Earth's parliaments and congresses."

"For every action, there is a reaction," McCoy offered.

"Quite true," Spock said.

"And…speaking of reactions," Amanda said quietly. "We do need to speak at length tomorrow, Spock, about your…situation."

Spock looked directly at his mother. "Yes, mother, we must. There is much to discuss amongst _ourselves_."

* * *

1 Wife

2 "Have something to eat, Cousin."

3 "You're crazy, Spock."

4 "Greetings, T'Sefora."

5 Traditional return greeting

6 "Shut up."

7 "It's good to be back."

8 Male relative


	5. Chapter 5, A Logical Solution

Chapter 5, A Logical Solution for An Illogical Situation

McCoy didn't realize how hungry he'd been until he sat down for the end of day meal at Ambassador Sarek's residence.

In addition to having a fine cook at their disposal, Amanda and Sarek spared nothing where food was concerned. Their kitchen featured delectable foods that combined the freshest fruits, vegetables and herbs; the most finely ground spices and seasonings, tastiest nuts, and purest waters in all of Vulcan, hell, probably in all of the quadrant, made it into the food served at their home.

Never a fan of vegetarian food, McCoy quickly found himself reassessing this dislike. Each course, from the robust tomato soup to the crunchy, satisfying salad, to the main course—some kind of vegetarian lasagna made from something other than that god-awful tofu Nyota was always trying to get him to eat—was amazing. Even the side dishes of breads, fruits, and cheeses blew him away.

The table also featured no less than two varieties of Vulcan's finest wines plus two very nice California vintages as well.

McCoy sampled them all, with relish. He was offered, and accepted, seconds as well.

The Ambassador seemed mildly surprised, while Spock and Cousin T'Sefora were mutely amused. Amanda was more openly so, and accepted his lavish, Southern-style complements with pleasure.

"Please, don't hold back, Doctor," Spock murmured from across the table, his ears perking up ever so slightly. From his side, T'Sefora stifled what sounded like another laugh.

Dessert featured an assortment of delicious berries lightly drizzled with chocolate.

McCoy, unable to hide his surprise, regarded the serving bowl with wide eyes. Everyone knew about Vulcans and chocolate. He couldn't believe that Spock's parents could be so..._open_ about it.

Amanda noticed "Oh for heaven's sake, Leonard, it's just a few drops of chocolate. No one will be swinging from the chandeliers tonight." She scooped out a serving for him. "You certainly do have a lot to learn from our medical schools, don't you?" she commented as she ladled out servings for the others.

"Terrans still hold many misconceptions about Vulcans, my wife," Sarek commented. "That is why it was logical for the Embassy to fund this scholarship. At the very least, we need Terran doctors who can separate truth from fiction."

"And logically," Spock interjected, "We Vulcans need to be somewhat more open about ourselves."

"Perhaps, as long as proper _decorum_ is followed" Sarek responded, staring straight at Spock.

* * *

Dessert was over quickly. Sarek rose. Amanda, Spock, and T'Sefora followed suit and McCoy hastily joined them. "Thank you again for this wonderful meal," he said.

"You are most welcome, Doctor. Now, if you and T'Sefora will excuse us, she who is my wife and I need to speak privately with Spock. T'Sefora, it is cooling out side and the rains have stopped. Perhaps you can show Doctor McCoy our gardens."

"This way, Leonard," T'Sefora motioned for the doctor to follow her to the gardens.

Ezyet (1) Amanda had the most impressive Terran garden. She had spent years working on it, mixing different plant and flower species until she could grow Terran-like ones in Vulcan soil. The garden itself was a gift from Dap-lan-pa (2) Sarek to Ezyet Amanda in honor of the strange Terran holiday Valentine's Day.

Spock had once explained the holiday as one that commemorates humans' romantic love for one another that normally required males to spend copious amounts of money and time to please the females they wish to impress. Spock had agreed with T'Sefora about the sheer lack of logic surrounding the holiday and told her that many males, and even a few females, regarded it in a similar fashion. However, many females looked forward to the holiday and expected some kind of offering from their males, even if they were not bonded.

In his parents' case, Sarek's gift was accompanied by 100 red Terran roses, one for each day that they had been married on that particular Valentine's Day, their first one on Vulcan. Amanda had presented her husband with a box of Godiva chocolates and 12 months later, with Spock himself.

Yes, her ezyet's garden was a strange, illogical, but _fascinating_ place. She had a feeling that the doctor would appreciate it, too.

* * *

"My office," Sarek said to his wife and son.

"Husband," Amanda said quietly, "let's not make this any more uncomfortable. I suggest we speak in a more conducive place, perhaps the library?"

Sarek nodded. "A wise choice, my wife." Spock almost shrugged.

The library was on the second floor, down the hall from their private rooms. It was more of a sitting room than a true library—Sarek's office was stuffed with books and antiquities—and overlooked the front of the house. It also had a loveseat, several cushioned armchairs, and a sofa, all decorated with intricate patterns that reflected both Terran and Vulcan styles.

Spock sat on the loveseat. His parents sat opposite him on the sofa.

They all looked at each other for a few moments.

Spock spoke first. "I was unprepared for the media at the spaceport today."

"As was I," Sarek said.

"I tried to warn you," Amanda said, looking at her husband.

Sarek cleared his throat, a very Human habit he'd picked up from his wife when he was completely focused on selecting the right words to say. "Spock," he began, "as you can surmise, your activities on Terra have been noted by the local media here."

Spock barely nodded.

"This in itself is not something we can control. There will, it seems, always be some interest in your life. You are unique and have made some…interesting…choices. Since we have to maintain a free press while we remain in the Federation, there is little we can do to stop it.

"But you can take steps to make yourself…of less interest to the tabloids and those who deign to read them. You must remember this. And that starts with behaving in more logical manner than you have been lately."

He looked to Amanda, who nodded her consent.

Sarek continued. "This young woman, Miss-"

"Cadet Wing Command Chief (3)," Spock interrupted. "She is Cadet Wing Command Chief Nyota Uhura."

"Your relationship with Cadet _Wing Command Chief_ Uhura," Sarek allowed himself to be corrected, "is a perfect example of illogical behavior."

Amanda groaned to herself. _Here we go again_, she thought. Really, how can someone who is considered the foremost diplomat in the Federation be so clumsy with his own child?

She touched Sarek's arm. "Husband, may I?"

He turned to her and nodded. "Perhaps your skills are better suited for this…emotional discussion."

"I am right here," Spock said. "You are speaking as if I am not. I do hear everything you say and much of what you think."

_At least you haven't completely closed off the bond_, his father noted.

"We didn't intend that," Amanda said in her most diplomatic voice, taking care to not sound soothing lest her prickly son take offense. "What we are saying, Spock, is that dating your student is dangerous for both of you. You risk both your professional reputations."

"Nyota is not my student anymore," Spock answered.

_It's Nyota now_, Amanda shared with her husband, who nodded.

Spock looked irritated. "Stop it!" _I am right here with you!_

"You just referred to Nyota as Cadet Wing Command Chief," Sarek noted. "Clearly, she is still a student."

"But not _my_ student," Spock corrected him.

"Is she not your teaching aide?"

"Yes, she is."

"I don't see the difference," Amanda put in. "Teaching aides are graded for their capabilities by their supervisors."

"Nyota has exceeded any class in the Vulcan language that is offered. She no longer is subject to grading. In fact, she is quite capable of teaching the introductory and intermediate courses in six languages. My colleagues often call on her to stand in for them."

"So why is she _your_ assistant?" Amanda was now mystified.

"Because I offered her the job," Spock answered.

"Spock," his father said, controlling the exasperation Amanda felt through their bond. "You are being oblique. Please clarify. Why would someone capable of teaching at the college level agree to be an _assistant_ to a faculty member who is junior to most of the staff?

"Understand this: we are very concerned that this apparent…relationship…is a real risk to both your careers. At the very least, it looks inappropriate. The military is no place to test limits. You must remember this."

Amanda looked at her husband with a little shock. He'd captured, in all of two sentences, all the questions that were in her head. She was wrong; he knew exactly how to question his son without stepping over the line.

Spock looked at his father, then his mother. "Because we work extraordinarily well together. Because she has helped me become a better teacher. Because I have helped her become a better researcher. This has been recognized by the Academy.

"She is not my student, but my colleague."

They were silent for a moment.

"But…but…you are still her supervisor?" Amanda asked.

"In a sense, yes. I sign off on her course choices. I sign her timesheets so that she gets paid for her work."

"Does Starfleet permit…such fraternizing between students and faculty, or employers and employees?" Sarek found he couldn't help himself.

Amanda shot him a look. _Remember how we met! _

"You were a contracted employee, wife," he said out loud. He looked at Spock. "Your situation is _quite_ different from the Embassy." _Need I add, I was then and remain the Ambassador._

"There are no explicit restrictions on my and Nyota's 'situation,' sa-mekh," Spock answered. "Nyota is a department employee, as I am. Therefore, we are not fraternizing in the sense that Starfleet interprets this."

He looked at his father directly. "And there is one other matter that I intend to raise with my chairman."

"I love Nyota, very much. She loves me. We plan to marry in a Terran wedding during the next winter break, well before I go into pon farr."

Silence.

"It is the most logical course for us to take."

Amanda sighed, and smiled. "For a very illogical situation, yes, it is."

And for the first time in a long, long while, Sarek found himself too stunned to speak.

* * *

1 Aunt

2 Uncle

3 This title is granted to the highest-ranking second-class (e.g., third-year) Cadet in the U.S. Air Force Academy.


	6. Chapter 6, There Will Be No Stains

**Author's Note: **I've been remiss to note that I've borrowed a few details from other stories I've read here including the presence of a huge canyon behind the family home, Vulcans enjoying rose petal delicacies, and the whole garden thing. My thanks to the authors who created these ideas, which I assume are not canon. I'm only writing for fun and to work on dialogue.

**Chapter 6, There Will Be No Stains**

McCoy gazed around the splendid garden and grounds around Sarek's and Amanda's home. _It's like a palace_, he thought to himself.

He looked back at T'Sefora, who was inhaling a kind of rose hybrid and almost smiling, just so slightly.

Below them lay a vast canyon that reminded McCoy of Earth's Grand Canyon. The family home was, in fact, perched on the edge of the canyon. McCoy found himself irrationally—_illogically_—worrying about earthquakes. Even as he reassured himself that no Vulcan would build a home in an earthquake zone—_this ain't San Fran!_—he made a note to ask Spock about the geology of the area.

McCoy walked back to T'Sefora, who, to his surprise, plucked a few petals off the rose hybrids and ate them. Then she saw McCoy. "I trust you will not let my Aunt know this," she half-stated, half-asked. She turned her attention to a lavender-like plant to taste.

"Your secret is safe with me," McCoy answered with a smile. "I'm guessing these flowers are a delicacy."

T'Sefora nodded. "I have been careful to only sample. Ezyet Amanda tends to notice when things are amiss in her garden."

"Speaking of Amanda, where the devil is that devil cousin of yours?"

T'Sefora looked a little uncomfortable. "I believe Dap-lan-pa Sarek and Ezyet Amanda wished to speak with Spock about how he intends to proceed with his ko-kugalsu, who I believe is quite…disturbed by what she has seen on the news."

"His what?"

"Ko-kugalsu. His fiancée."

McCoy stared at her. Surely there was something seriously amiss. Spock was almost definitely involved with Nyota Uhura. His head spun. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Spock was _engaged_? None of it made sense.

"T'Sefora," he asked, "what exactly was all that media buzz about at the airport? Is it the cause for that argument in the hovolimo?"

T'Sefora cleared her throat. Sometimes lavender got stuck in it. She took a drink from her waterbag while she thought about how to answer McCoy. "This may take a few minutes to explain," she said. "Perhaps we should sit on the bench."

* * *

Up in the office, there was utter silence after Amanda's initial gasp.

And then, a wide smile grew on her face. Sarek remained expressionless but both she and Spock could feel his shock through their bond.

"Spock…son…when?" was all Amanda could get out.

"Last month."

"Why?" Sarek's voice was soft, almost a whisper.

"I told you, sa-mekh. I love Nyota. She loves me. We both want this and we are tired of keeping our relationship a secret, although I gather it is not on Vulcan.

"It will also ensure that we will be allowed to serve together on the Enterprise when it launched next year."

Sarek was a little disturbed by Amanda's obvious delight. "I am very happy for both of you, son," she practically gushed. "I liked Nyota very much. From what you've shared, she is both brilliant and loving. And even your father admitted that she is aesthetically pleasing!"

Spock turned his eyes on his father, his eyebrow raised. Sarek raised an eyebrow back. _I may be old and bonded but I am not blind._

Amanda laughed and could feel Sarek start to relax as he absorbed their son's news.

"Will there be…repercussions once you go public with your engagement?" Amanda's delight was suddenly tempered by her earlier concerns.

Spock's mouth curved up just a bit. "No, Mother, it will not, if precedence is any indicator. There have been other, similar marriages. And as I have stated, nothing was out of line when Nyota was actively under my supervision as instructor."

Sarek finally spoke out loud. "Spock, there is the matter of T'Pring."

Amanda sighed. "Do we have to talk about her?"

"Yes," her husband and son said in unison.

"Buy me a Coke," she muttered. Her husband and son both raised an eyebrow to her.

"T'Pring's father contacted me two days ago," Sarek began. "He was most displeased by the videocasts of you and Nyota. T'Pring, he says, is quite distressed."

Amanda snorted. "She is about as distressed as a lematya (1) chasing a kelek-aushfa (2)," she said.

"Explain," Spock said.

* * *

Spock was well aware that Amanda held T'Pring in low regard. From the start, T'Pring had been what his mother called "difficult." She refused to respond to young Spock's attempts to strengthen their bond in the weeks and months that followed their kan-telan. It had torn Amanda apart, watching her seven-year old spend hours trying to reach the little girl through his mind.

Finally, he'd come to his parents, almost in tears, to ask if there was something wrong with _him_.

T'Pring, she thought, was just cruel. Over the years, she would tease Spock by blocking him from her thoughts for months, and then extend the faintest probe just when he was about to give up on her. She'd get his hopes up, pay him some attention, and soon go back to blocking him.

It wasn't until Spock had had enough of the stifling atmosphere on Vulcan—where nothing he did ever seemed to be Vulcan enough for _anyone—_that he announced his intention to join Starfleet. Amanda was sad to see him leave but she could hardly blame him. He needed, she thought, get the hell away from _everyone_ on Vulcan.

Hearing that Spock had rejected VAS and more or less publicly announced he was leaving for Earth, and an _inferior_ institution, T'Pring had actually come to their home, uninvited, to demand that he consult with her. As if she had any right to place any demands on him, Amanda had fumed at the time.

Amanda told her that Spock had already left. It was a lie, but the bond between T'Pring and her son was so weak that the young woman couldn't detect his presence. And anyway, he was, literally, already packing to go.

T'Pring went on to complain to anyone who listened that her bondmate was not behaving as a true Vulcan, that he was giving in to his Human emotions. What Vulcan, Amanda had to wonder, who's worth his salt would stand for the treatment that she and the Academy dished out to Spock?

Sarek had been quite upset. He meditated for two days and concluded that VAS had acted illogically and possibly unethically. Spock was correct to turn them down.

Joining Starfleet, however, was another story. Risking his life for what Sarek calculated held a 17.852% higher risk of early death than, say, taking a diplomatic or scientific assignment was downright illogical. There were other universities on Terra that were more logical choices, more suitable and…safer.

Neither of them, however, regretted the loss of T'Pring from Spock's future. They both worried about how he would handle his Time and held out a somewhat illogical hope that his unique biology would spare him the more devastating effects of full-blown plak-tau. (3)

* * *

More recently, Amanda had heard through the grapevine that T'Pring had not been exactly _logical_ in her own behavior. She'd held her tongue, though, until it would be necessary to come forward with a charge of adultery, or at least cheating. And even those were concepts that were virtually unknown, if not unacknowledged, on Vulcan.

Not that Spock had exactly been a beacon of perfect behavior. But at least he'd _tried_ to bond with T'Pring.

"Amanda," Sarek said gently. "You are keeping something from us."

"T'Pring is unworthy of Spock."

"Explain." Again, they both spoke in unison.

"She condemned Spock when he left for Earth. She publicly spoke of her illogical anger toward him. Even if she doubted him, it was her duty to stand by him and support him and she didn't do that."

"I didn't, either" Sarek quietly reminded her.

"You are his _father_. Parents are _allowed_ to show disapproval. And you _eventually_ did the logical thing—you came around. You never shut off your bond entirely. You felt for Spock and you reached out to him when you were back on Earth. Don't argue with me, Sarek—you love our son as much as I do. Maybe in a different way, but you do, and I know you can't bear to lose another child.

"You must remember this, Husband."

Spock reached out to his father. _I know_.

He felt Sarek tell him how, as he grew older, he missed Sybok, his troubled, illogical older son. A brilliant young man who somehow strayed so far off course. At times all of it hurt so much he could hardly move.

_I know, Father, and I will work to reconcile our family. I will find Sybok. It is illogical for us to remain out of contact. _

Amanda quietly absorbed the communication between her son and husband. "What I have learned," she continued, "is that T'Pring can hardly play the role of a wounded wife."

"You have listened to gossip?" Sarek almost sighed. It was such a Human thing.

"Hardly. I saw her with another one."

Spock eyes widened. He'd suspected as much given the extreme frailty of their link and his utter failure to consider T'Pring as he found himself more and more drawn to and fascinated by Nyota. T'Pring was almost an afterthought, so much so that it wasn't all that difficult to explain her presence to Nyota.

But to be caught out in the open, by her presumed future _mother-in-law_—now that was something so illogical it made wearing a Starfleet ski cap look sensible. Spock caught that last thought from his father.

Amanda did, too, and laughed out loud.

"I wish to formally end this tel." (4) Spock said. "It must be mutual."

"How do you plan to achieve this, given her family's…inclination?" Amanda asked.

Sarek stood up. "My wife, you were right all those years ago," he said. "The kan-telan was wrong for Spock and I suspect it is wrong for many.

"I started this. And I will end it. With no stains on Spock or the T'gai T'chen clan."

* * *

(1) wildcat-type creature native to Vulcan

(2) small pet

(3) the blood fever that is the final stage of pon farr and generally fatal unless the male mates although a few can stave off death through intensive meditation

(4) bond


	7. You Must Remember This, Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"And that is the unpleasant story of my cousin's unfortunate bond," T'Sefora finished.

McCoy leaned back on the bench they shared, frowning. Vulcans, it seemed, followed an ancient tradition of engaging children around the age of seven so that they would have "mates" for "when the males' time come." He was skillful enough to understand the euphemism; rumours about the Vulcan seven-year itch were as casually bandied about Starfleet Medical Center's residents' lounges as the latest drug to keep one alert for 36 hours. He just hadn't bought into it.

This T'Pring, Spock's assigned mate, sounded like a real piece of work. She'd made it clear that she had little interest in Spock, and had resisted sharing her mind with him like betrothed Vulcans were expected to. T'Sefora, for example, had already had a few silent moments with Styroben, her own mate, apologizing to him each time.

Styroben, it seemed, was a little miffed that he hadn't been invited for dinner upon her return home. He was fond of Amanda, too, T'Sefora explained, not adding that she was now wondering if he was beginning the descent into his own time. Styroben was normally quiet and easygoing, and always kind. It was why she was, frankly, eager to finalize their bond.

"Why in the world wasn't this so-called engagement broken when Spock left for Starfleet?" McCoy wondered aloud.

"Because T'Pring desired to keep it," T'Sefora answered, helpfully breaking his thinking process. "Our clan is _rich_, Dr. McCoy. As you have seen, we must take great care to not attract attention from outsiders, our own media, and now it seems, outworlders.

"Finally, as Ezyet Amanda says, gold-diggers are as plentiful on Vulcan as anywhere else. You must remember this."

McCoy laughed. "I guess they're the more logical ones than those who marry for love," he said. "And by the way, let's drop the formality. My friends call me Bones. Or worse," he added.

"Vucans rarely marry for love, Doctor Bones," T'Sefora answered. "Love logically comes after the bond has been…finalized."

"You mean after the couple has had sex." _Dr. Bones_. He liked that name.

She nodded. "So I have been told."

"So Spock is stuck with a bond-mate he doesn't like, who only wants him for his money, and he loves Nyota," McCoy mused.

"Do you know her?" T'Sefora asked.

"Sure," McCoy answered. "She's a good friend. I've suspected that there's been something between her and Spock but I've never asked and they've certainly never brought it up."

"She's lovely," T'Sefora breathed. "I do not believe I have seen a Human woman who is so…beautiful."

And Ezyet Amanda was a very pretty girl when Dap-lan-pa Sarek had married her. She'd seen the holos. She wasn't breathtaking like this Nyota, but rather cute, in a mischievous kind of way. Her ezyet was her favorite relative. As a child, she had received several volumes of classic Terran children's books on her birthdays from Ezyet Amanda, who insisted on noting birth anniversaries. They awoke her imagination and sparked her interest in learning more about Terra and Terrans. Early on, T'Sefora decided that her aunt was a mix between Louisa May Alcott's Jo and Jane Austen's Emma—both of whom she would have welcomed as friends had they been real.

"Yes, she is," McCoy said, softly.

"Do you love, her too?" T'Sefora asked him. McCoy looked away.

"I like her, plenty. But I'm damaged goods, T'Sefora, and anyway I'm too old for Nyota. By the time we met, it was obvious to me that she had other interests. It just took me a while to realize who held those interests."

"Damaged goods? Are you unwell, Dr. Bones?"

"No. Just divorced and bitter."

"Was your mate…a poor match?"

"I can only blame myself," he answered. "We weren't matched like Vulcans. Ours was a so-called love marriage except we confused lust with love."

T'Sefora looked away. She had heard a lot about Human lust. She hoped Spock's love for Nyota wasn't lust. She had no idea about if he'd even had his Time as yet, and wondered if Human women could even handle it given that Vulcans were a much stronger race.

But then, Ezyet Amanda had been married to Dap-lan-pa Sarek for...far more than seven years! She looked pretty well although there were times when she looked, well, exhausted. And these weren't necessarily in seven-year intervals. Living with Sarek probably _was_ tiring; keeping up with the Ambassador wore her out and that was just being an assistant and not a mate. Reflecting upon this, her admiration for her ezyet increased even more.

"Penny for your thoughts?" McCoy teased.

T'Sefora raised an eyebrow at him. "Why would I collect an obscure amount of discontinued credit for thinking about my aunt and uncle?" she asked.

McCoy sighed. "It's an expression." _Vulcans_, he thought. He had a summer full of them ahead.

"I am certain," T'Sefora began, "that my cousin intends to divorce his mate."

"Is that allowed?"

"It is not all that unusual. Many children grow up and move off-planet during adolescence. By the time they are grown and ready for the final bond, they find little compatibility with their childhood mates."

"Well Spock's certainly past adolescence," McCoy commented.

T'Sefora turned to him. "He is not, Doctor Bones. He has only reached 30 Terran years."

"And that isn't grown-up enough?" McCoy asked in that teasing voice again.

"Certainly not. Adolescence usually ends between ages 45 and 50."

McCoy sat up and faced her for the first time since this conversation began nearly a half hour earlier. "Are you _kidding_ me?"

T'Sefora was confused. "How could I possibly offer you a Human child, bonded as I am?"

_Well this will be a long, hot, and confusing summer!_

* * *

Amanda gazed at Sarek. "Husband," she began, "I never doubt your abilities."

That got both of their attention. Sarek raised an eyebrow at her. Spock just stared.

"Oh come on! You know that when it's really important, I trust you _implicitly_!"

Spock allowed a momentary smile and glanced at his father, who was looking at his mother, his eyes soft and…loving. Like how Nyota looked at him.

"How," Amanda asked, her voice low and respectful, "do you plan to extricate Spock from T'Pring and her family?"

"There is the adultery situation," Spock began.

"No!" Amanda and Sarek spoke together, surprising one another. "I will not allow my son, my _half-Human_ son, to be looked upon as a…cuckold," Amanda said angrily. "The way _some_ Vulcans are, they will see it as a weakness on your part and not hers. _I won't have any more insults to our heritage_, Spock."

Sarek silently transmitted his agreement. "I will not allow that girl's indiscretion to sully our clan, _any part_ of our clan."

"Although," Amanda said slowly, "those holos of Spock and Wing Commander Uhura-"

"Cadet Wing Command Chief Uhura," Spock interrupted.

_My son, please be silent_, Sarek transmitted to him. _Allow your mother to speak out loud._

Amanda thanked him with her eyes.

"Those holos with your girlfriend," she continued, "will certainly remove any suggestion that you are…incapable…or wanting…" her voice trailed off, mindful of her husband's, if not her son's, sensitivity where sexuality was concerned. She had tried to discuss Human sexuality with Spock when he was entering his teens, before one of his summer visits to his Terran cousins. He'd completely shut her out. Sarek had been similarly uncommunicative when she'd ask him to talk about Human girls with him. She'd assumed he had, as Spock had returned home with no visible trouble and her sister hadn't mentioned anything to her.

No doubt, four years at the Academy filled in any holes. But oh, those holo posters of him that circulated when he was still just a kid there…those had troubled both of them although her family told them they were overreacting.

She was stuck in her thoughts, so Sarek spoke up. "My wife, please do not trouble yourself," he said. "Trust in my abilities, my diplomatic skills, to handle this."

"I do not have much time here," Spock reminded him.

"And this will not take much time," Sarek assured him. "I have given this some thought, and for some time, since we first met your Nyota last year."

Amanda shot him a look. _Didn't I say something was going on?_

"My wife, your conclusions were, as always…logical. And logically, I planned for any and all circumstances regarding our son."

_I am still here!_ Spock reminded both of them.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Amanda awakened the next morning alone in bed. She frowned; several hours earlier, Sarek had told her to go to bed as he would be up meditating most of the night. Apparently, that meant all night.

She rose, took a quick sonic shower, dressed, and went downstairs. Spock and McCoy were in the kitchen. McCoy, in keeping with local tradition, was preparing breakfast. Spock was next to him, peeling oranges to for her juicer.

"Now I know my son loves me!" Amanda exclaimed, giving him a peck on the cheek. McCoy looked over and grinned. "Fresh oranges from my uncle's groves in Mississippi," he drawled in his best Southern accent. "When Spock found out about my citrus connection, he practically marched me back home. We picked them ourselves." He paused. "Should I add chocolate chips to the pancakes, Amanda?"

"Not in mine," Sarek said from the doorway. Amanda walked over to him and they brushed their fingers together in a Vulcan embrace. "I missed you last night," she murmured in his ear. "That must have been some heavy meditation session." Sarek's ears turned slightly green. "I need to keep my head very clear today, my wife," he whispered back, glancing over her shoulder at their son, whose own ears were a brighter green. He'd overheard them. _Strange_, Sarek sent to him. _You embrace Nyota in public but are embarrassed by your own parents, in our own home?_

He felt Spock block him out and sighed.

_You're embarrassing him_, Amanda sent him.

_Most illogical_.

"Can we have some music in here?" McCoy broke into everyone thoughts. Spock quickly turned to retrieve a music padd and plugged it into a set of speakers. Pop music, not too dissimilar from what Nyota and her roommate often played, flooded out. He and McCoy both grimaced. "Are there teenagers here?" McCoy grumbled. He had expected something different from the crap he heard around the Academy, perhaps something like the smooth jazz Spock produced from the ka'athyra he sometimes played during his rap session/tea parties.

"It's new," Amanda explained. "Pre-reform love songs, set to original scores. Some are actually quite beautiful. Give it a chance before you dismiss it. Even Sarek has come to appreciate it."

Sarek said nothing. _My god, that man is whipped_, McCoy thought. He cleared his throat. "Well, I have about a dozen pancakes ready. Spock, can you finish making the juice while I set the table? Oh, and Amanda, is there any chance I can get some coffee?"

* * *

Sarek and Spock set out after breakfast to visit T'Pau, Sarek's mother and their Clan matriarch. She lived less than a half-hour away on the other side of the city from where Sarek and Amanda built their own Terran-friendly home so many years ago.

Spock followed his father into their ancestral home, struck as he always was by how different it felt than his own family's abode. Vulcan visitors to Sarek's and Amanda's home were fascinated by its modernity and mix of Vulcan and Terran furnishings. It wasn't just the garden that captured their interest; it was the smaller, more personalized decorative and architectural touches the couple had put in. The house itself was an homage to IDIC: Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations, the Vulcan mantra that so few really witnessed before Ambassador Sarek and his bride arrived to live on Vulcan.

The much-publicized birth of their son a few years later underscored the difficulty of living up to IDIC, and the unease many in Vulcan society still had in fully accepting it.

T'Pau was in her garden, tending to roses that looked suspiciously like those in Amanda's garden. She turned and greeted her son and grandson. "It is good to see thee, Spokh," she intoned, using the proper Vulcan pronunciation his parents rarely bothered with, preferring the Standard version. They held up their hands to exchange formal Vulcan greetings.

Spock handed T'Pau a small sack of oranges. "What's this?" She pulled out an orange and sniffed it. "It has a pleasing odor."

"Oranges, a Terran delicacy," Sarek explained. "Spock's friend Dr. McCoy—the one who is staying with us this season—brought several with him for Amanda. She asked us to present some to you. You remove the skin and eat the fruit underneath."

"Fascinating." T'Pau began to peel an orange. She made a face. "It stings."

"Oranges are highly acidic, ko'mekh-il," Spock explained, taking the orange from her. "I will prepare this one for you." He removed a small knife from his trousers and began to carefully scrape off the skin.

"But you have not come here only to present me with Terran treats, sa-fu," T'Pau said, looking from Sarek to Spock. "I sensed a more grave purpose from your visit."

"That is so," Sarek said. "Let us sit and speak of a matter that has concerned Amanda, Spock, and myself for some time." He led them to a small table, partly shaded for Amanda's comfort during her frequent visits to tend to her mother-in-law's garden. It pleased Sarek to see his wife's concern for his mother, and T'Pau's acknowledgment of Amanda's efforts.

"As you recall, Amanda was highly opposed to Spock's childhood bond," Sarek began. "I insisted upon it, in part to ensure Spock would not be amiss when he…matured…and in part to underscore that the House of Surak would continue."

T'Pau nodded. "My ko-fu was correct in her apprehension. The girl's recent behavior has been most unsatisfactory."

Spock felt a small shock go through him and sensed a similar, if somewhat more muted sensation from his father. Was T'Pau also aware of what his mother had described about T'Pring? He handed the peeled and split orange to her.

T'Pau placed a slice in her mouth. She nodded. "Very pleasing." She bit down and swallowed the delicious juice. "I understand why my ko-fu wished to send these to me."

"Ko'mekh-il," Spock began. "My father and I wish to tell you that I intend to end the bond, if any indeed survives, with T'Pring. I intend to bond and marry a Human woman."

T'Pau placed another orange slice in her mouth and sucked the juice before swallowing. "I am aware of the girl's unsatisfactory attitude, Spokh," she said. "However, I had intended to present other females to you."

"That will not be necessary."

T'Pau turned to Sarek. "Am I to witness history repeating itself?"

Spock spoke up. "There is no need to compare my choice to my father's. I am doing what is right for me and for my beloved. Yes, she is Human as is my mother. In some ways, you could say they are quite similar. And perhaps my parentage has made me more open to the ideals of Kol-Ut-Shan but my choice is solely mine and mine alone. You must remember this."

"We have met the young woman in question," Sarek finally spoke. "She is no doubt a suitable mate for Spock. They are clearly devoted to one another. Amanda and I will be proud to make her our ko-fu and part of our Clan."

"What of lineage, sa-fu? Are you not concerned that any further dilution of Surak's blood will threaten the House of Surak?"

Spock could feel himself heat up. _Calm yourself_, he felt Sarek send. _It is not her intention to insult you or Nyota. Or your mother. It is, in fact, a logical question we must address._

"Perhaps, sa-fu, the time will soon come to embrace Kol-Ut-Shan more thoroughly and share the power of rule."

"Explain."

"If it is history repeating itself that concerns you, it may be logical to consider the history of Terra and other planets where power was concentrated for too long. Think of the Orion Slave Revolt, and the Russian Revolution. Both could have been avoided if power had been apportioned to representatives from all classes and castes."

"Fascinating. I must admit, the analogy had not occurred to me."

"It is she who is my wife who brought this to my attention," Sarek said. "It was a topic of discussion during last evening meal."

"It would spare our Clan the terrible fate visited upon the…what was he, King of Russia?"

"Czar. Czar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their children were all murdered by the Bolsheviks," Spock put in. "Nicholas' own grandfather, Alexander II, was himself assassinated 37 years earlier, also by revolutionaries, although he was a reformer."

Sarek glanced at him. _You could have left that part out._

Spock realized his mistake. "His error was perhaps that he acted more as a dictator than a true republican. While he did free serfs, for example, he reacted to political challenges to his rule by becoming even more repressive against those he perceived as his enemies. He was not, by any means, a _diplomat_." He turned to his father, emphasizing that last word as it was spoken.

T'Pau listened carefully. "You are suggesting that the time approaches when the leading Clans should step aside and allow lesser Clans to rule."

"Something along those lines, yes. It is in keeping with many Federation members. There are more questions arising about Vulcan's hold on feudal rule, sa-mekh, and the more Vulcans venture off-planet, the more they will be exposed to greater democratic rule."

"The genie, so to speak, is out of the bottle, ko'mekh-il," Spock said. "More Vulcans are visiting Terra and other planets and are realizing that the old ways may need to adapt to new realities. Just as Surak created a roadmap to end the bloodshed, we need to begin planning a new era of equal representation."

"You would give up your title and lands?"

"I do not think it will be demanded of me all at once, but to answer your question—yes, I would. Titles are illogical in today's realities. I do not require all the lands entrusted to me—indeed, I plan to set aside most of them into a public trust." He took a deep breath. "Ko'mekh-il, my friends on Terra are unaware of my status on Vulcan, other than that my father is an Ambassador. They do not know that our family is tantamount to sa-te'kru."

"Your intended, is she aware of your willingness to abdicate?"

"Yes. She is herself descended from tribal rulers. Her family's traditional roles are now strictly that of historians. Her aunt serves in a regional legislature and a cousin is a second vice-premier in the African federation."

"Your bonding and marriage appears to be a foregone conclusion, Spokh. I trust your judgment and that of your mekhu. But I ask, where and how would you raise your children?"

"On Terra and on Vulcan. Nyota and I wish to educate them about both of sides of their heritage."

"Nyota?"

"A Swahili name, ko'mekh-il."

T'Pau almost smiled. "Your children will have rich blood." She turned to Sarek. "And how do you plan to extricate our Clan from this bond without it becoming a sensation in the media?"

"That is the second item I wish to discuss with you, sa-mekh."

* * *

ka'athyra: a Vulcan lyre

ko'mekh-il: grandmother

sa-fu: son

ko-fu: daughter/daughter-in-law

Kol-Ut-Shan: IDIC

sa-te'kru: king

mekhu: parents

sa-mekh: mother


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

McCoy was alone in the kitchen, cleaning up the breakfast he'd cooked for his hosts. He couldn't help smiling at the strange custom that called for guests to do the cooking for their hosts. While he often cooked for friends he visited, it was never expected of him. It was all so un-Southern; he could just imagine how shocked his parents would be when he told them about this.

On the other hand, there was something so damned..._logical_ about it! What better way for a guest to show his appreciation than to cook a meal? He'd forgotten how much he enjoyed cooking to begin with.

After breakfast, Spock and his father went off somewhere, to visit Spock's grandmother from what he gathered from Amanda. Amanda herself stayed with him as he cleaned up. She asked him about Nyota.

"We met her last year. Spock brought her to the Embassy for a formal dinner honoring the retiring president of the European Union. She was lovely. I thought there was something between them but Sarek said I was wrong."

McCoy looked up from the kitchen refresher, where he was loading the breakfast dishes and various skillets, muffin pans, and other supplies he'd used for breakfast. "I've wondered the same thing, ma'am, but you know Spock—he just changes the subject."

"Are you friends with her, too, Leonard?"

McCoy joined her at the table, coffeepot in hand. He refilled both their mugs.

"Yes, ma'am, I am. My first-year roommate has been chasing her for two years with no luck. We still managed to become friends, partly because she sweet-talked me into singing in the Academy choir." He chuckled. Nyota and a few other extremely attractive young ladies sought out male graduate students to join the Academy choir, which needed tenor and bass singers. Since graduate students like McCoy were ineligible to play intramural sports and rarely joined campus clubs, the choir targeted them on the (correct) assumption that they would be more available and reliable than undergraduate men.

"You sing? How nice. I used to sing in college, too. Sarek has a _lovely_ voice."

"And Spock?"

"He isn't bad. He's better on the lyre. Have you heard him?"

"Yes, at his get-togethers for students who want to practice Vulcan together. What I call his Vulcan tea parties."

Amanda laughed. "So between you and Nyota, my son is discovering his Human side, in leaps and bounds." She sighed. "As much as I'm thrilled that he's mellowing out, his father and I are both worried that he's going headfirst into unknown territory and that he'll get hurt."

"In what way?"

Amanda took a long drink of coffee. "Well, while you and Spock and Sarek were en route here, some unwelcome video of Spock and Nyota surfaced in the tabloid press here."

"Spock said something about tabloids when we landed. Do you mean to tell me that such a thing actually exists?" McCoy was frankly amazed.

"Yes, and don't let anyone tell you that gossip is illogical because plenty of Vulcans engage in it, at least as many as there are bigots." Amanda muttered the last part of the sentence. "And my supposedly _logical_ son, who should _know better_, let himself get filmed in a compromising situation, for a Vulcan. Especially one from our Clan."

"OK, you got me. What in the world could Spock have done to be accused of acting illogically?" McCoy was almost gleeful. "You've got to show me!"

Amanda suppressed a grin as she turned on the holovision and selected a saved program. "I almost had a heart attack when I saw this. On the face of it, it's funny, but in Vulcan society and politics, it isn't."

"What are we watching?"

"_Ti'Valka'ain Nash-gad_. It means _Vulcan Today_. It presents itself as a newscast but it's pure gossip, even if what they put out is _sometimes_ true."

She pressed the remote and a news anchor, as animated as a Vulcan can get, appeared onscreen and introduced the next segment. Amanda thoughtfully added in Standard captions in for McCoy. "Remember a few years back," he read as the anchor spoke in rapid, urgent Vulcanese, "when a certain Vulcan princeling became Prince Pin-Up?" An image of the poster of Spock in his swim gear appeared, the camera zooming and out on his features.

"Oh…my…god…" McCoy breathed out. He could hardly believe his eyes, but there was a younger, ganglier Spock wearing nothing but a Starfleet-issued swim suit and goggles, dripping wet. His arms were behind his back, inadvertently emphasizing his chest muscles, his head turned to the side in profile.

"You remember Spock, son of our Terran Ambassador Sarek and Professor Amanda Grayson of the same Terra?" the anchor went on. "Well we're glad to say he finally got dressed. Now he's keeping warm with the help of a beautiful young Starfleet cadet!" A video appeared of Spock and Nyota walking just outside Spock's apartment building, Nyota's hand on Spock's arm. Spock wore black trousers, a light grey sweater, and…was that one of those goofy Starfleet ski hats? Nyota wore a casual dress, no jacket; it obviously had been warm outside. She looked gorgeous; Spock looked great except for that stupid hat.

As the camera filmed them walking past some construction, Nyota tripped over something and Spock grabbed both her arms in a flash to catch her before she fell, and pulled her back toward him. For a moment, it looked as if he were about to kiss her, but then Nyota leaned into his neck, laughing. Spock _smiled_, ever so briefly.

"Gotta love that hat!" the anchor said brightly. "And we can't wait to see if the rest of the T'gai T'chen Clan take up _this_ fashion statement!" Photos of Sarek, an elderly female Vulcan, and Amada popped on the screen with Starfleet hats drawn on their heads, accompanied by loud popping noises.

The video ended. McCoy wasn't sure if he even could laugh—he was too astonished. Never in his wildest dream would he have imagined this being broadcast on Vulcan. And what was with the ski hat? Was Spock trying to disguise his ears?

"Freedom of the press," Amanda said wryly, "comes with agreeing to Federation freedoms. We all must remember this."

"And gives the freedom to ridicule-" McCoy tried to stop but he was too late. He didn't mean to voice his thoughts. Amanda's mouth tightened. "I'm sorry—that just popped out."

"No need to apologize when the truth is spoken, Leonard. That would be oh so illogical. And by the way, I haven't shared the video with Sarek. I only sent him the photos from the tabloid dailies. If he sees the video, it won't be my doing."

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Amanda broke the silence:

"Leonard, you have probably gathered that our Clan is powerful on Vulcan. Sarek's people are direct descendants of Surak. They are used to being looked up to. Until I came on the scene, no one even dared criticize them."

"What do you mean?"

"When Sarek and I were married, there was _a lot_ of disapproval from within the Clan and outside. It was extraordinary for Vulcans. On Terra, it was almost mayhem—the press was all over us. We were followed everywhere; I had to move into the Vulcan Embassy for my own protection. Mind you, not everyone was hostile. There was an element out there that portrayed us as star-crossed lovers, going against the grain with our inter-species marriage, but mostly it was hostile stuff."

"Surely you two weren't the first from different species to marry!"

"No, but Sarek was the first from a powerful family to take this step. He defied his own mother—the Clan matriarch, whose picture you just saw on the vid along with Sarek and me—and lots of others. Sarek had the Embassy announce our engagement in a press release and even held a press conference, thinking that this openness would be welcoming. But someone leaked it early on, and once that tidbit slipped out, there was quite a bit of noise in the media on both planets. Here, they said I was out to defile the Vulcan race. On Terra, Sarek was accused of brainwashing an innocent young woman."

"What do you mean, brainwashing?"

"Vulcans age much more slowly than Humans. Sarek was 63 when we married. I was 23. To an unsophisticated Terran, that sounded sort of…depraved. Frankly, there was a lot of racial prejudice shown on both sides."

"But it's different now, isn't it?"

"I don't know how much so on Vulcan. I had hopes but this video could screw it all up for us. I won't go into too much detail, but there was a lot interest around the events of Spock's birth. We basically _paid_ for all the initial research into Vulcan-Human reproduction. Spock is literally a medical miracle and we had to take some pretty drastic measures to protect him from prying eyes, prevent him from becoming treated like a…I hate to say the word, but like a freak." Her voice caught at that.

"Eventually the press got tired of hounding us and we were more or less left in peace as a family. Spock had a rough time as a child, though—his classmates tried their damnedest to prove he wasn't a real Vulcan by provoking him. When he didn't react, they took to physically attacking him. It was only when the ringleader used the most abusive language toward me and Sarek, that Spock lost it."

"What happened?"

"He fought back. He'd been trained very well in self-defence. The boy who insulted us lost an eye in the fight. "

McCoy's eyes widened. Spock had always come across as so, well, _gentle_ to him, at least outside the classroom. McCoy had watched him spar in defensive demonstrations at the Academy gym, but those were more demonstrations of skill and technique. Evidently, those techniques could put out someone's eye.

"And broke the little punk's nose. Spock was almost expelled from school—and you can imagine how that would go over on Vulcan, it's almost unheard of." She drained her coffee before continuing.

"Later, and I don't know if you are aware, Spock turned down a scholarship to VAS."

"Yes, that's pretty well-known on campus. I figured it was because he wanted to be the big fish down there."

"No, Leonard, he turned it down because the admissions committee insulted Humans."

McCoy looked at her questioningly. "I don't understand."

"The committee sat there congratulating him on his academic scores. He was the _first_ to ever get a _perfect score_ on their admissions exam. And they commended him for overcoming his handicap, namely, his Human heritage. You see, they regarded Humans, and by default, me and Spock, as mentally and intellectually defective.

"So he turned them down and went to his backup school, which was the Academy."

Leonard took a deep drink of coffee. He stared into his cup. "I'd say that was a logical choice."

Amanda smiled. "We understood why he wouldn't want to be at VAS. But we didn't expect Starfleet—that was a huge surprise to both of us. Sarek was initially furious; he knew the dangers of entering the service better than most, but he eventually came around. It helped that the Embassy and the Academy are in the same city."

"And it would be illogical to not speak to one's own child," Leonard commented.

Amanda smiled. "Illogical indeed. We had some moments, like the time some joker took a photo of Spock at an Academy swim meet and started that whole poster craziness. But since then, Spock's managed to remain out of the limelight. The only other time he's received press was when he went on his tours of duty, which went over pretty well.

"However, now that he and Nyota have been videoed together, well, Houston, we have problem."

"What? Nyota's a wonderful person!" McCoy was starting to feel a little bit like Mercutio, defending his friend's love.

"Spock is bonded to a Vulcan female, T'Pring."

"Bonded?"

"More than an engagement, but less than a marriage. It serves a purpose to ensure that Vulcans adults are never alone. It isn't as common today, but children used to be bonded at around age eight. I was against it for Spock, but Sarek was adamant that he not be left vulnerable. It's dangerous for adult Vulcan males to be unbonded."

"Why?"

Amada waved him off. "I'm sure it will be discussed in your classes. It's a biology thing."

"So this T'Pring, his fiancée, he has little contact with her?"

"None that I'm aware of."

"Where does Nyota fit in all this?" McCoy wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer. The look he saw in Nyota's eyes in the video, that was of a woman in love. His conversation with T'Sefora the night before indicted that Spock wanted to divorce T'Pring. But they weren't actually married so was this such a big deal?

Was Nyota aware of all this? Spock didn't seem the type to be capable of such deception. But you never know for sure…

"If anyone can enable a divorce on Vulcan, it's my husband. T'Pring and Spock never fully bonded, that much I'm sure of. They didn't even develop a mental bond with each other. I don't think she wanted it. I think she sees my son as inferior and always has."

"What do you mean mental bond?"

"It's a way that Vulcan couples learn to communicate telepathically. It takes time, practice, and devotion. It's a way to never feel alone and I must say, it's extraordinary. But I expect that will also be covered in your classes."

"Will Nyota be accepted any more than you were?"

Amanda looked out the window. "I hope so. It would have been so much easier if Spock had been more circumspect. Nyota may well become a joke here on Vulcan, no matter how brilliant or nice or pretty she is.

"I don't know what's worse, Leonard, being a threat to the Vulcan race or the latest punch line to a society with very a long memory."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

McCoy was itching to check out the facilities where he'd begin his Vulcan medical studies in a few days. Spock and his father were still out, and T'Sefora had been given a few days off to spend with her intended bond-mate. Amanda was holed up in her study.

He found his way to the study and knocked lightly against the open door. Amanda looked up from her desk, which was parallel to a stunning mountain view. "Come on in, Leonard," she waved.

He entered and glanced around the office. It was filled with modern Vulcan art and was very, very neat, in contrast to her husband's chaotic office at the embassy in San Francisco. Where Sarek had PADDS, books, and several monitors scattered on his desk and nearby chairs, Amanda had a nearly empty desktop; only a large screen, laptop, and vase of flowers sat on it. A radio hummed out news from a bookcase filled with disks and books. Not wanting to look nosey, he quickly sat down.

"Is everything OK?" Amanda asked.

"Yes, ma'—Amanda, everything is great," he answered. "I was, however, interested in taking a look at the medical campus while I have time before orientation and classes. Is there a bus or something I can take there?"

"We don't have service out here in the sticks," Amanda said. "But you can borrow a hoverbike. Come to think of it, it might be a good idea to register it early for campus parking before they run out of spaces. Come on, I'll show you Sarek's collection."

She rose and McCoy followed her out of the house and to a small hangar off to the side furthest away from the road. Inside were about a dozen hoverbikes, some of them classics from the previous century. A few looked like they were being restored and had parts scattered around them. Neatly labeled boxes were stacked on a shelf, apparently color-coded by brand.

McCoy whistled. "Wow. These are all Sarek's?"

Amanda grinned and nodded. "Yes it is. Kind of surprising, isn't it?"

McCoy walked around a few of the classic models, admiring the paint job and clean lines. "That's a beauty all right."

"Do you ride, Leonard?"

"Not too much. I've rented bikes with a friend from the Academy when we've needed to blow off steam. We take 'em out to the Imperial Sand Dunes. I have a feeling Sarek treats these babies better than we do to those rentals."

"I think Spock would be fine if you took this one out today." Amanda walked over to a light blue and white bike with the words _Mesakh Tashek_ stenciled on it. "Beyond control!" McCoy said, translating out loud. "That's _Spock's_ bike?"

Amanda laughed. "Yes and don't look so surprised. Spock was quite the daredevil when he was a teenager. He joined a local hoverbike racing team and even won a few trophies. Go on, give it a try." She turned and rummaged through a locker and found a lightweight imitation leather jacket and racing helmet. "Let's see how these fit you."

McCoy slipped on the jacket, which was far too long for his arms. "Spock's huh?" he asked. Amanda nodded and rolled up the sleeves for him. She handed the helmet to him. "This one can be adjusted."

It fit pretty well and McCoy figured he'd take it easy on the bike anyway. No need to let _Beyond Control_ get to that point, at least not right away. Amanda showed him how to program route instructions, handed him a bottle of water to tuck into the jacket, and he was off.

* * *

It took less than a 15 minutes at a leisurely rate to reach the Medical Campus of the Vulcan Science Academy. McCoy found a space in visitor parking in front of the registrar's office, removed the helmet, and took off the jacket, which he stuffed into his bag. Carrying the helmet, he felt a little bit of swagger as people glanced his way.

It wasn't until he entered the building and realized that he was the only Human, probably the only off-worlder, on the campus, and that was what drew the curious stares. He self-consciously studied the building directory, translating the symbols so that he could figure out where to inquire about registration and orientation. He hoped that the books he'd ordered in Standard would arrive sooner than later.

"Can I assist you?" a voice asked in Standard.

He turned to see a stocky young Vulcan male with a large backpack, wearing a cap with some kind of quote on it. "Yes, thank you. I'm trying to find where I should report to register for the summer term."

"You are a medical student, correct?"

"Yes. Actually, I'm a doctor. I'm here to study Vulcan physiology."

"Are you the Maimonides Fellow?"

"Yes, I am."

"Amsetri tre! (1) I am Skilsu. You must be Leonard McCoy." Skilsu pronounced the name very carefully.

"Amsetri tre, Skilsu. I thank you for the welcome." _His name means Victor_, McCoy thought to himself.

"A striking of luck, Doctor. I am also taking classes and studying Standard. Starfleet has been…what is the word…contacting me to join?"

"I think you mean recruiting?"

"Yes, that is the word. So it is striking luck that I meet you before classes begin and people get too busy to talk."

"I think you mean a _stroke of luck_, Skilsu."

Skilsu tilted his head to acknowledge the error. "Standard has many unusual phrases," he observed.

"Do you mean illogical?" McCoy grinned at him.

"It is illogical to cast judgment on a language," Skilsu answered. "Language just…is."

"You are wise beyond your years, Skilsu," McCoy said. "Perhaps you can advise me where I should begin here."

* * *

Skilsu led McCoy to the Registrar's office, where he explained to the clerk that the Maimonides Fellow had arrived. The clerk, a very young woman, stared at McCoy for a moment before making a comment to Skilsu, whose eyebrows shot up. McCoy couldn't quite make out what she'd said; something about his appearance. But it didn't seem rude.

"What did she say to you?" he asked Skilsu while she turned away to comm Professor Slormasu.

"Apparently you have pleasing eyes. She's never seen blue eyes before."

* * *

Professor Slormasu met them in the hallway outside the Registrar's office. He was a tall, thin Vulcan with graying hair and wore formal robes with the VSA logo. "Greetings, Dr. McCoy," he said, in an accent McCoy hadn't come across before. "Greetings, Skilsu. I understand you are, as the Terrans say, taking Dr. McCoy under your wing."

"If you mean I have escorted Dr. McCoy, then you are correct, sir," Skilsu answered. "I am not familiar with that particular expression, under one's wing, but it does have a ring of logic to it."

McCoy bowed his head to the Professor. "It is my honor to meet you, Professor," he said in Vulcanese.

"Come, let us have tea in my office," Slormasu said, leading them down the hall. They followed him, Skilsu chatting with Slormasu in Vulcanese. McCoy was able to follow enough of it to understand that new research was published that morning in the Vulcan medical journal _Khaf-spol-gaya (Pulse) _on compounds that had potential to speed up blood generation. _Interesting_, he thought, and corrected himself. _No: fascinating!_

They entered Slormasu's office, greeted by a life-size replica of a Vulcan skeleton. "Say hello to Khim'ip," (2) the professor said. McCoy didn't even try to suppress a grin at that.

They sat at a small round conference table that had a model of Vulcan cell structure as its centerpiece. McCoy picked it up to examine it. It wasn't much different than other Humanoid cells but he knew they were packed far more tightly. "A blood cell," Slormasu commented. "You will see that instead of iron atoms, there are copper atoms."

McCoy nodded. "Sir, could we proceed in Vulcanese? I'm hoping to skip using a universal translator as much as possible while I'm here."

"Certainly," Slormasu answered in Vulcanese. "Did you study the language at Starfleet Academy?"

"Yes, I did. I was lucky enough to take a course taught by a Vulcan and not some Human tripping over pronunciations," McCoy answered. "And a good friend of mine is a linguistics genius who works as a language TA so she helped me."

"You're skills are quite good," Slormasu commented. "Ours is not an easy language for Humans to pick up, particularly given that the Human brain usually stops processing in the language center by adolescence."

He got up to check on the tea he had been brewing in an actual teapot. He poured three cups, and carried them back to the table on a tray that included a few berries and what looked like crackers. McCoy and Skilsu each took a cup.

McCoy sipped his tea and held back a grimace. It was quite bitter. "Have some berries to sweeten the taste," Skilsu advised.

Slormasu got up and walked to his desk to retrieve a PADD. "Here is a list of classes the scholarship committee recommended you take, Dr. McCoy," he said as he sat back down. "There is also an interactive map of the campus to help you orientate, and a calendar of events. I believe there will be an orientation lunch in four days' time."

McCoy accepted the PADD and thanked the professor. "I can't express how honored I am to have this opportunity," he told him. "On Earth, I'd have to say I'm excited."

"We were pleased to hear that the Embassy on Terra decided to award this scholarship," Slormasu said. "While there is only one active-duty Vulcan in Starfleet that I am aware of, there will certainly be more. I am told that several graduate students on the main campus are interested in following Osu Spock's example of space exploration, and Skilsu here has been approached to attend…what is it? Officer training school?"

"Ah, a six-month wonder," McCoy said. The two Vulcans looked baffled. "Graduates from certain disciplines are offered the opportunity to work for Starfleet but must complete a much shorter program than the three- and four-year Academy programs. We call them six-month wonders because they graduate as Lieutenants and not Ensigns."

"Why are you not in this accelerated program, Doctor?"

"I chose a three-year program to get the full training complement. I'll still graduate as a Lieutenant, but this way, I can serve on long-term missions, investigate new phenomena, and not be stuck on some ice ball or space station. But someone with a Vulcan medical or science degree, that's the type of officer Starfleet wants to recruit and get to work as soon as possible."

"I understand you are staying with Ambassador Sarek and Lady Amanda," Slormasu said. McCoy nodded. "Spock is a friend," he said. "And my Vulcanese instructor."

He could tell that both Vulcans tried hard not to look intrigued, that they were consciously suppressing their eyebrows. "I thought Osu Spock taught physics," Slormasu said.

"He does. I was lucky to get him for the one semester he did teach the language. The regular instructor, who is _Human_, couldn't teach the semester. Commander Spock agreed to teach introductory and advanced classes. I took the introductory class."

"Do professors and students normally become, as you say, 'friends'?" Skilsu asked.

"Yes, in a way," McCoy answered. "Many instructors are themselves officers like Commander Spock, and alternate teaching with active service. This way, they can also recruit cadets for their own starships who they think would be a good fit."

"Fascinating," Slormasu said. "Does Starfleet have the discipline in place to prevent favouritism? Forgive me, but our news is rife these days about…fraternization at the Academy." He did not want to offend McCoy or openly admit that he'd seen and read the coverage of Spock and a young teaching assistant. Spock was such a fascinating Vulcan, and had such a very unique family background.

* * *

Slormasu had read accounts in the _Tol-Tal_ (_Genetics_) journal about the first Vulcan-Human offspring to survive infancy. The accounts didn't name the family, but it was widely assumed to be from the powerful T'gai T'chen clan, and more specifically, Sarek's child. Slormasu been among those who hoped that more data would be released as the child grew, but apparently concerns over the boy's well being took over medical interests. The needs of the many may outweigh the needs of the few, but not where a Prince was concerned.

Truthfully, Slormasu and practically every other healer he knew couldn't blame the family too much for shielding the child. He wasn't sure if he could have subjected any of his children to ongoing medical observation that could all too easily violate Vulcan sensitivities, particularly as they matured. Sarek's wife Lady Amanda, who taught linguistics at VSA's main campus and had more or less created the study of interspecies language development, was known to have suffered miscarriages before and after Spock's birth. At one time, a sad rumour circulated about an infant who died shortly after birth. He knew that Humans grieved as deeply as Vulcans when it came to such losses.

It was mostly the mainstream media where what little information about Spock could be found, and that was primarily because of the place his parents held in Vulcan society. If Sarek was in the news for some political or diplomatic incident, video would inevitably show glimpses of his wife and son attending public events with him such as Council openings. A few times, Lady Amanda granted interviews about some new development in linguistics, a very popular topic on Vulcan, from her office where you could see photos of her family in the background.

Spock's rejection of VSA and his decision to leave Vulcan entirely certainly created a media sensation at the time. His decision to enter Starfleet was met with general public approval, partly, Slormasu thought, because his own Clan was so vehemently opposed to it.

* * *

He returned his thoughts to the young Human and Vulcan students in front of him. McCoy was explaining Human interactions under different circumstances, military protocol, and other topics he found rather dull. Skilsu seemed interested, though.

They spoke a bit more about McCoy's schedule, including his willingness to grant interviews to local media interested in the first Human to attend a Vulcan medical school. Perhaps he would keep a journal for future publication? McCoy bit back a laugh, imagining how his friends would react to such a suggestion. _Me? Be interviewed by the hobgoblin media?_

If they didn't kill him first, he was going to have a lot of fun with these elves!

(1) Amsetri tre: Your presence honors us

(2) Khim'ip: Bone


End file.
